In the early morning of March 19, the 17th year of the Republic of China. When the first rays of spring light shine through the light veil-like mist, sprinkled onto the runway of Wuhan Airport. A Junkers J31 with luxurious and comfortable interiors has turned its propellers and is gliding into the sky.

Sitting in this plane were Luo Yaoguo, Kong Xiangxi, Song Ziwen, Song Meiling, Chen Guangfu, Pei Zuyi, Wu Ziliang, Feng Tian, Natalie, and other leaders of the Kuomintang's financial and economic circles, as well as spy chiefs and coffee makers. The "Oral Memoirs of Luo Yaoguo" published in later generations describes the situation at that time as follows:

"I walked into the Junkers plane that day with the mood of going to war, and I knew that the place I was going to was the battlefield, where there was an invisible war waiting for me. At that time, all indications were that the financial elite of the old Japanese empire was preparing to wage a war against us by financial means. And there are some local Chinese capitals that are joining forces with them. Of course, their actions were or still seem to be in accordance with the law and the rules of the game in the financial industry, and the capitalist system allows the financial means to destroy a country's economy and plunder their wealth. So from the point of view of impartiality and neutrality, what they are doing cannot be said to be wrong. And there is no right or wrong in this, only interests and rules. They had to do things according to the rules of the game, and the previous conventions of the countries told them that they would win the gamble. It's just that...... They met us, it was a war in the way of financial speculation, and it was a financial speculation in the way of war hahaha...... In fact, they were robbed legally, yes, legally. Hehe, because we make the law, and we also enforce the law ourselves. It's a shame to hear that some of these unlucky guys committed suicide by seppuku at home that night. As for the ...... It was the darkest day in the history of world finance, uh, maybe, but it never seemed to me that there was ever a bright day in the industry. Recently, however, I have heard a strange claim that it was on that day that the old Japanese Empire finally embarked on the path of militarism. According to those experts on history, it seems that without that incident, the Japanese would have gradually embarked on the path of democracy and freedom, rather than becoming a militaristic state. I can't agree with this ridiculous statement at all, Japan has always been a complete militarist country, and they have always been ......"

When the plane flew to an altitude of 3,000 feet, the cabin was quite noisy and a little cold. Most of the passengers looked in a heavy mood, except for Luo Yaoguo, Chen Guangfu and Natalie, who were talking and laughing. At that time, it was almost unthinkable to use the power of the government and the central bank's money printing machine to intervene forcefully in the financial markets, and no one had ever tried it. So much so that in the future, this kind of unscrupulous use of the power of the regime to shamelessly intervene in the financial market in order to maintain the stability of the regime or accumulate wealth is called "Luo Yaoguoism".

"Brother Guangfu, try Natalie's coffee making skills, it will never be worse than those foreigners in Shanghai." Luo Yaoguo smiled and picked up the coffee brought by Natalie and took a sip lightly. In this era, instant coffee has not yet been invented, and for Luo Yaoguo, who was used to drinking coffee in his previous life, it is also a beautiful thing to have an expert in coffee as his aunt's wife, and he often boasts about this in front of others.

Chen Guangfu picked up the small coffee cup, took a sip, and said with a smile: "Well, it is really fragrant and delicious, and the craftsmanship of the third wife is really superb." I will enter the exchange later, but I have to rely on it to refresh myself, and the third wife will have to ask you. Otherwise...... We're going to fall asleep in the exchange, but it's going to be bad. ”

As soon as the joke came out, everyone in the cabin also rarely smiled, I don't know if Chen Guangfu's joke was really funny, or if it was appropriate to laugh with the occasion. In this seemingly relaxed atmosphere, Chen Guangfu gently turned the coffee cup: "We have two weaknesses in this battle, and we also have two strengths. The weakness is fiat currency and flour, while the strength is stocks and bonds. If the opponent is simply selling fiat currency, push up the flour ...... If the amplitude is not too much, we will not be able to 'catch' them, so we will start today with them to grab the runway, knock down the fiat currency first, and push the flour up."

"What" Song Meiling exclaimed, staring at Chen Guangfu with a pair of bright eyes, her eyes full of suspicion.

Luo Yaoguo just nodded and said with a smile: "The exchange is in our hands, they can't rob us, unless the price is outrageous." If that's the case...... They're just looking for death."

Chen Guangfu smiled coldly: "Since they are here, they will definitely not let go of the opportunity." Again...... We haven't done this before, so don't worry about them giving up. According to the information we have obtained through the interbank lending market, in the past few days, Japanese investors have borrowed a large amount of fiat currency cash through the British and American banks, with a total amount of about 1 billion yuan, plus the fiat currency cash in the hands of the Shanghai head office of the Bank of Communications, they should have mastered 1.5 billion fiat currency in the Shanghai market, and according to the rules of the game on the current exchange, stocks, bonds, and flour can be bought and sold short, and they can also be overdrawn. In addition, there are stock index futures, bond futures, flour futures...... Hehe, such a big casino, I estimate that the Japanese, who don't have much in fiat currency and flour, may aim their firepower at the four major pieces of stocks, bonds, stock index futures, and bond futures. That's the one with the most trading volume and investors participating at the moment, and we're going to fight them all there."

……

Tianjin British Concession, Victoria Road. There is also a small stock exchange. Unlike the splendid and luxurious Stock Exchange Building on the Bund in Shanghai, this exchange is only on the third floor of the British-owned Macquarie Bank building. There are several small trading floors, which are responsible for the trading of currencies, stocks, bonds, and materials. On weekdays, it is deserted, there is not much trading volume, and it is even more rare to see the real big boss on the ground in Tianjin. But today...... It's suddenly getting crowded.

Like the stock exchanges of later generations, the staff of the stock exchanges of this era wore the iconic yellow vests. Traders wear red vests with numbers on the back. Zhang Naiqi wore a red vest numbered 519 today, followed by Pan Fu, the chief butler of the Feng Department, and Chen Jiongming, the boss of the Zhi Gong Party, and walked into the currency trading hall. Since the Nationalist Government has announced the implementation of foreign exchange controls, there is no need to stage a run on fiat currency today. In fact, people are not allowed to exchange at all, and the legal tender is already discredited in northern China, of course, the matter of exchanging silver dollar coupons for fiat currency by the Feng and Anhui departments is not busy, after all, no one knows what the fiat currency is going to fall into at the moment? Therefore, the United Reserve Bank of China does not plan to immediately exchange the strong silver dollar notes for fiat currencies that seem to be about to turn into waste paper.

"Get out of the Kuomintang, get out of fiat," there was a faint slogan on Victoria Avenue, as if there was an angry crowd demonstrating. Hearing this, the pro-Kuomintang bank managers in the trading hall, Wu Chong, Bai Siwen and others all had iron faces, hung their heads, and were just sighing......

"Brother Gongwei...... Will we get through this hurdle this time? Bai Siwen quietly leaned into Wu Chong's ear and whispered a few words. At the moment, the two of them are the backbone of the pro-Kuomintang bank managers in Tianjin, if they are both discouraged by the current situation......

Wu Zhong smiled bitterly, and also replied in a low voice: "We have done our best, whether we can pass this level depends on whether Shanghai can repel the Japanese attack?" It's just a small battlefield, and it's Shanghai that decides the outcome of the war."

"That'...... Do we want to hold fiat currency when the market opens? Bai Siwen hesitated for a moment and said again.

Wu Chong shook his head: "Wait until it falls below six yuan before buying...... I ran out of ammunition when I bought it early. "The fiat currency is six to one against the dollar, which is also the price issued to them by the Military Intelligence Bureau, and it is said that the Shanghai side is also sticking to the line of six and a half yuan today. Therefore, Tianjin must also stick to it, so as not to have a linkage effect between the two markets.

"Six?" Bai Siwen smiled bitterly and shook his head. His salary as a colonel is only 100 yuan in legal currency, and even if you add various allowances and a subsidy from the Pacific Trading Company, the total income is only 300 yuan. This income made his Whampoa classmates greedy, and every time they met, they pulled him to ask him for a treat. But now, as soon as this fiat currency falls, his income will immediately shrink by half, and those national ** officers and soldiers who don't have as much oil and water as him will be even more miserable......

"Brother Gongwei, I heard that the official servants in the central government in Beijing are marching in front of the Zhongnanhai Presidential Palace today to protest and demand...... Is it true that the president gave them a raise? Bai Siwen inquired in a low voice again.

A hint of coldness slipped across Wu Chong's face: "A bunch of parasites, what else will they do besides making trouble for the president?" What time is it now? Still thinking about my own salary. Again...... Aren't they, the civil servants of the central government, being paid for by our party? If we really fail, see who can pay them."

Bai Siwen also sighed heavily: "It's really hard for our president, this central power is really a thankless errand, where can it be compared to being happy in Wuhan?" By the way, how many gold, dollars, and silver dollars can we sweep in our hands? ”

Wu Zhong smiled bitterly: "Our Pacific Trading Company was originally a joint venture with the Feng Department, but they just withdrew their capital a month ago and took more than 8 million yuan from our account, and they didn't invest a penny at the beginning, and now we only have one million US dollars in hand, and we can put in 6 million fiat currency, and several of their banks have 10 million in their hands...... At most, you can eat 70 million fiat currency, right? I estimate that there is a maximum of 100 million fiat currency in the hands of the capitals of the Feng system, the Anhui system and the North Four Banks. It's a bit of a hanging. ”

Bai Siwen's face sank, he looked up at Pan Fu, Chen Jiongming and the others who were triumphant opposite, and muttered, "If we can't hold on, what can we do in Shanghai?" ”

……

Luo Yaoguo now feels as if he has traveled to Hong Kong in the sixties and seventies of the twentieth century, and has become a "stock god" in the Hong Kong stock market. Well, it's a bit of the "stock god" in Hong Kong TV series. He was wearing an expensive black suit and a red vest numbered 001. There is also a blonde beauty wearing a well-cut Chinese-style cheongsam with a bewitching figure. It was followed by a group of financial elites who were tall, short, fat and thin, all wearing red vests.

A group of people swaggered into the securities trading hall of the Shanghai Stock Exchange on the Bund. However, unlike in the Hong Kong TV series, Luo Yaoguo also showed up in the trading floor very stylishly, and then walked to a VIP room on the second floor accompanied by Du Yuesheng, general manager of the Stock Exchange. Chen Guangfu, general manager of the China International Commercial Bank, and Pei Zuyi, general manager of the Bank of China, were in charge of directing the transactions on the spot, while Kong Xiangxi, governor of the central bank, and Song Ziwen, minister of finance, were responsible for contacting foreign banks in Shanghai. Wu Ziliang, the head of the secret service, did not follow, and his mission today is to sit in the secret headquarters of the Shanghai Station of the Military Intelligence Bureau, and direct the spies to "maintain order in the financial market", if necessary...... It is also preparing to use the Korean Red Army to assassinate the financial and economic elites on the Japanese side. Well, in short, all rogue methods can be used as long as they work

"Yuesheng, why didn't I see the Japanese when I came in just now? They won't be afraid to come today, will they? As soon as Luo Yaoguo walked into the VIP room, he asked about the Japanese. It seems that when the positive characters in the TV series appear very stylishly, should there be also the same arrogant villains? Where did they go today? Aren't you a positive person?

Du Yuesheng is still wearing a signature white silk gown, with a polite appearance. In this time and space, he couldn't do the opium business, so he had to change his career and become the general manager of the Shanghai Stock Exchange, usually just in name. Who made this place or the concession now? High-ranking Kuomintang officials who are serious about their careers may not always be as effective as this big person.

Du Yuesheng smiled faintly and replied, "Hui Fushuai, they are in the HSBC building opposite today. Former Mitsubishi Zaibatsu President Hisaya Iwasaki, Deputy General Manager of Yasuda Bank Yuki Toyota, Mitsui Bank Chief Executive Officer Narihiro Ikeda, Sumitomo Bank Deputy General Manager Sadaiji Iwa, Bank of Korea President Keisaburo Kato, Bank of Taiwan President Shigeru Shimada and others were others. In addition, Zhang Zongxiang, the general manager of our Bank of Communications in China, is also there. ”

Luo Yaoguo just nodded, found a wide sofa and sat down, Japan's four major chaebols, Mitsubishi, Mitsui, Fuji (Yasuda), Sumitomo are all here, in addition to two of Japan's eight special banks. It seems that the real driving force behind this fiat currency crisis is the Japanese

"The British HSBC bank is also ......" Song Meiling couldn't help but be surprised when she heard that the Japanese had actually set up a camp in the HSBC building.

Du Yuesheng hurriedly explained: "I just spoke with Macrisen Taipan on the phone, and he said that this time the Japanese were trading through HSBC and Citigroup. They are just agents, purely commercial activities, and nothing else. ”

"Hehe, purely commercial? It seems that the Japanese are also doing business today, right? Feng Tian, who spoke, finally broke off the relationship with Xiong Kewu after thinking about it behind closed doors for a while, and returned to the position of the head of the secret service. Speaking of which, this person is really a bit of a prickly character. This time, as a representative of Hu Hanmin, he came to supervise the war.

Luo Yaoguo's expression was also slightly gloomy: "These British are naturally not good birds, they are not sure that our side and the Japanese can win at the moment...... Once the winner is decided, I'm afraid they will also follow the trend and fight the water dogs, right? ”

“…… But it doesn't matter, we will win this battle, even if the British are now on the side of the Japanese, they can only lose money together. The only trouble is that Britain is a strong country, and their government may intervene afterwards. It's a big deal, let's just give them back our share of the British. The Japanese want to use the power of Britain and the United States to make us shrink back and dare not take advantage of them, they are purely delusional, and by virtue of this, they have already lost. ”

In Luo Yaoguo's view, behind the "financial war" is purely a contest of national strength. In later generations, it was the American hedge funds that caused trouble all over the world and created one crisis after another. It's not just about having money, but if you want to change to Singapore's Temasek or the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, would you dare to do such a thing? It is estimated that these Japanese are still subject to the inertial thinking of the past, and regard China or the Nationalist Government as a soft persimmon. But when I really arrived in Shanghai and saw the scary fort group in Wusongkou, I was a little scared, worried that I would have my life to make money and not to spend money. That's why the British and Americans earned commissions for nothing, which should be regarded as protection money, right?

"How much money did they bring, did you find out?" Feng Tian suddenly interjected again, his face was still a little gloomy, white and blue, and he looked a little scary.

Du Yuesheng was still smiling: "Mr. Huifeng, this time the Japanese brought a total of 1.2 billion yen, and bet on all the industries in Shanghai, and borrowed a total of 1 billion yuan in legal currency from British and American banks such as HSBC and Citigroup. In addition, Bank of Communications also has a liquidity of about 500 million yuan in fiat currency. A total of 1.5 billion fiat currency, of course, this is only an approximation, and we can't find out how many there are. ”

"And how many stocks and bonds do they have?" Feng Tian asked again.

Du Yuesheng smiled and shook his head: "Basically, no, we know this better than anyone else." In the past, Japanese people didn't buy stocks and bonds listed with us, and the Bank of Communications didn't buy them. ”。